The Santa Claus dossier

FOLLOWING reports that Santa Claus is in possession of Presents of Mass Enjoyment and has the flying reindeer-fuelled capability to deliver them anywhere on Earth at short notice, this is a historical lowdown on Santa, aka Father Christmas.

AD270: The birth of Saint Nicholas, whose charitable deeds as Bishop of Myra in Greece lead to the practice of giving Christmas presents.

325: The Council of Nicaea (now Iznik in Greece) fixes the date of Christmas as December 25. One of the bishops attending the council is thought to have been St Nicholas.

346: Nicholas dies on December 6, which later becomes his feast day and the day on which Christmas presents are delivered. In the Netherlands the presents are said to be given by Sinter Klaas (St Klaus, or St Nicholas).

One of the legends that spreads about St Nicholas tells of him throwing bags of gold coins down the chimney of a house in which three poor girls lived. Reports of him entering houses via chimneys may have stemmed from that.

1626: Dutch settlers in the New World introduce Sinterklaas to America and the English name of Santa Claus results.

1646: Josiah King writes a pamphlet entitled: “The examination and tryall of Old Father Christmas, together with his clearing by the Jury, at the assizes held at the town of Difference, in the county of Discontent.” This is the earliest known reference to Father Christmas in English.

It is unclear whether Father Christmas and Santa Claus are the same person, as Father Christmas appears previously to have been known as Sir Christmas in 15th-century England, though he was not associated with present-giving. Father Christmas and Santa Claus only become identified with each other in the 19th century.

1647: At the height of the English Civil War and the rise to power of Oliver Cromwell, the English parliament abolishes the celebration of Christmas festivities, describing it as “a popish festival with no biblical justification”.

1659: The Puritans of Massachusetts follow suit, imposing a fine of five shillings on anyone caught observing Christmas. Neither English nor Massachusetts law specifically mentions Santa Claus or the giving of presents but such deeds are likely to be considered part of a “celebration”.

1660: The celebration of Christmas is reprieved following the restoration of the monarchy and the return from exile of King Charles II. All the old traditions are revived with enthusiasm, including the celebration of the 12 days of Christmas as a period of non-stop entertainment ending on Twelfth Night.

1822: Clement Clarke Moore, whose father was Bishop of New York, writes his famous poem A Visit From St Nicholas beginning: “Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” This contains the first reference to Santa’s sleigh and the reindeer pulling it whom he names as Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blitzen.

1862: US political cartoonist Thomas Nast draws Santa Claus for the cover of Harper’s Weekly magazine. He pictures Santa as an elf-like figure but makes him plumply round and for the first time pictures Santa with white beard and matching hair.

1927: A radio programme in Finland pinpoints Santa’s location on Lapland’s Korvatunturi, or “Ear Mountain”. The shapes resembling rabbits’ ears at the top of the mountain are identified as the devices that enable Santa to hear the wishes of the world’s children and also hear if they have been naughty or good.

1931: The popular image of a fat and jolly Santa in a red cloak is created by artist Haddon Sundblom for a Coca-Cola advert. Prior to this Santa had appeared in a variety of guises either as an elf or human being, often in a cloak which was most often green or red but Sundblom’s red-cloaked tubby image stuck in people’s minds and dominated from here on.

1939: A reindeer called Rudolph with a navigational device in the form of a luminous red nose is named by Robert L May in an advertising booklet of an American retail outlet.

1957: The first World Santa Congress is held at the Bakken amusement park in Denmark. It is the idea of entertainer Professor Tribini. A Santa Congress has been held every year since then.

1995: Canada Post promises that letters addressed to Santa Claus will reach their destination more quickly if they carry the new postcode which has just been allocated to him: H0H 0H0.

1995: In June a Santa Claus in New Zealand is sentenced to six months’ detention for breaking the security glass at a petrol station the previous Christmas when they would not give him a free ice cream.

1996: A man from Hertfordshire who has changed his name to Santa Claus by deed poll places a bet of £50 on himself to have a Christmas number one hit. A spokesman for William Hill says: “I was slightly surprised when a man called Santa Claus contacted me.”

2000: In Great Yarmouth a street trader dressed as Santa is arrested for brawling. A police spokesman says: “It was extremely upsetting for the young children to see Santa being nicked and handcuffed.”

2001: A Mother Christmas sues a store in America for $100,000 because she has been sacked for having breasts. Meanwhile in Switzerland, two banks ban entry to anyone in Santa Claus costume for fear of robberies.

2003: New York professor John Trinkaus observes and classifies on a six-point scale the expressions on the faces of children as they visit Santa in department stores in New York.

It was extremely upsetting for the young children to see Santa being nicked and handcuffed

A police spokesman

He reports that of the 300 children observed: One (0.3 per cent) was “exhilarated”; two (0.7 per cent) were “happy”; 247 (82 per cent) were “indifferent”; 47 (16 per cent) were “hesitant”; none was “sad”; and three (1 per cent) were “terrified”.

2008: A 69-year-old man in Finland whose car collides with a Santa sleigh drawn by reindeer escapes with a small fine when he appears in court in Helsinki. The judge says he deserves leniency, despite being over the legal alcohol limit, as his surprise at seeing Santa and the reindeer was partly to blame for the crash.

2009: The Finnish government announces that because of the global recession it is selling its 32 per cent stake in Santapark, home to Father Christmas. Santa’s new landlords will be a company called Santa’s Holding Ltd.

July 2012: A man reported to resemble Santa Claus in appearance and clothing is approached by staff at Walt Disney World in Florida and asked to change into something “less Santa-ish” and to turn away children asking for photos or an autograph. The man claims that he has been told he “must inform anybody who comes up to me that ‘I am not who you think I am, I am on vacation and please leave me alone’.”

December 2012: Debenhams department stores announce that they will no longer feature appearances by Santa Claus because at Christmas there are far too many Santas around in stores and on street corners and it is all getting far too confusing for the children. “We don’t want to overcrowd the market and of course Father Christmas can only be in one place at one time,” a Debenhams spokeswoman explains.